I haven't figured out why there aren't lines to both airports. As an example, last time I flew into St. Louis for a meeting, we took rail from the airport to downtown. There was no need for a car. The rail was great.

All updates by Triton on HAIF

Skyhouse

http://i.imgur.com/QukfOYo.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/o9j2482.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/gebzkAC.jpg?1

Main & Leeland

http://i.imgur.com/1QsZ6Lp.jpg?1

Flagship Holiday Inn (former Savoy Hotel): More windows

http://i.imgur.com/JVJKBAp.jpg?1

Mickey Leland Federal Building

http://i.imgur.com/froOFcZ.jpg?1

500 Crawford: Proof that construction has begun.

http://i.imgur.com/fvnrTxv.jpg?1

Buffalo Bayou Redevelopment

http://i.imgur.com/RhrsWTw.jpg?1

Pearl Midtown

http://i.imgur.com/LNMyuwO.jpg?1

Parc Binz One

http://i.imgur.com/H42F12B.jpg?1

Tower at Hermann Place: Site for 42-Story High-Rise, construction begins next month.

http://i.imgur.com/NdlIx2R.jpg?1

The plan for the light rail is for it to eventually connect to both airports. Glowrock, I think it would be very difficult to put rail down Westheimer or Alabama because structurally there are only so many lanes available. They are putting rail down Richmond but your point still stands, because Republican congressman John Culberson is refusing to get funds for the line down Richmond, (officially the "University line").

I'm fully aware of Culberson's stupidity, Double L. And I know full well that it can't work down Westheimer, at least not without being an elevated line (and frankly I think that's what it SHOULD be!). Alabama isn't as bad in terms of traffic, so I'd think maybe an alignment along it would work out, at least until Alabama ends around Wesleyan, I believe? Then you can run it to Richmond, then hook a turn up Post Oak back to Westheimer where it's plenty wide enough to handle a train.

My point is, those who complain about the current LRT system and say it doesn't go to where it's really needed truly need to convince some of the idiots like Culberson to pull their heads out of their asses and acknowledge that this city, heck this entire REGION, needs a good transit system!

Not having at least an express bus network from Sugar Land to downtown and from The Woodlands to downtown is simply ridiculous. I am sure it's because those places don't want "undesireables" to show up from the "inner city", but give me a freaking break!

Aaron (Glowrock)

Agreed. No reason why the extension to U of H can't be continued to Hobby. And no reason why the north extension that now goes to a bit north of Crosstimbers can't be routed pretty much right up the Hardy Toll Road to IAH. Transportation to and from the airports should be very, very high on the priority list!

Aaron (Glowrock)

I share your sentiments. I spoke to someone a while back who indicated that besides the money problem, there had been considerable push-back from the Taxi union, who would stand to lose a great deal of captive customers if travelers had other options.

Personally I agree with Culberson that light rail is wrong for Richmond and Uptown. At this point losing a lane from Richmond Avenue is going to be much worse than any train that serves such a limited area. The goals of transit improvements are to offer more options to get to your destination and to allow more people to access those places more easily. Plus by the time they finish tearing up the street and putting in the train it will be 10-15 years from now and Houston will have a million or two more people and the whole area will now have worse traffic plus a train screwing up the ingress/egress from its busiest thoroughfare.

They need a subway or an elevated train with commuter service to the suburbs (at least Beltway 8). I really want transit in the area but the idea of putting in grade level rail along Richmond and Post Oak is just foolish. Light rail is great for getting around dense neighborhoods or traveling short distances but now we need transit that serves dense neighborhoods with high numbers of commuters who aren't going to be swayed to wake up an hour early to take a slow 3 car tram to work. West Houston is a completely different animal.

Scaffolding collapsed at Chateau Ten

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I know you and I probably disagree on many things, Reverberation, but one thing I'm sure we have in common is the notion that taxi companies have no freaking business lobbying METRO, Houston, Harris County, whatever, to derail public transportation between downtown and the two airports. Screw those idiots. (The companies, not necessarily the drivers). Not sure where you get the "Taxi Union" sentiment from, for taxi drivers are not unionized (that I know of), but no doubt, the taxi companies themselves pretty much control the city like an iron fist. Similar to the towing companies, I'd think. :(

Aaron (Glowrock)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...:cheers:

The same thing happened in DC, where the residents of Georgetown refused to have Metro extended into their neighborhood.

On the other hand, there's an opportunity for redevelopment to find its way into some of the neighborhoods on the southeast and north sides, rather than pass by in favor of wealthier communities, as has happened with a lot of the nouveau light-rail systems. Service to the areas where the traveling public lives is always good.:tup:

I have taken Chicago's El and trains in Boston and Cleveland to get from city center to downtown. Philadelphia and Baltimore appear to have connections, but they're not as convenient. Los Angeles has brought the subway only within five miles of the international airport, which is a pity. DFW gets its link within the next year. That should be great for the citizens of Dallas.

Energy Center Three: By brijonmang on HAIF

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I love Houston glowrock. Is that really a crime?

I'm a member on many forums; wirednewyork, HAIF, Chicago Architecture, LA Curbed, Greater greater Washington, Dallas Metropolis, Atlanta Curb, etc. So I've spread my appreciation all around, I just prefer Houston on SSP.

In 1970, Houston metro was smaller than Cleveland. Today it's 5th. I wasn't alive to see the US in the 70's but lately it's reminded me of the nation I'm from, growing up and seeing a place mature too is magical.

I only hope you get to experience it one day for yourself.

OTOH, holy! I have been gone a week and more new towers and apartments! INFILL-NATION!

A RFP has been sent out for the downtown retail district: http://www.downtowndistrict.org/Home...RFP-120213.PDF

I wish them good luck in their endeavor, that's for sure! The loss of Macy's (Foley's) was huge, even though the building itself was beyond horrifically ugly. Downtown is sorely lacking for good retail. Thankfully there are some good food shopping opportunities already, most notably Phoenicia Market. :yes:

Aaron (Glowrock)

I like how Houston is acting upon this in an aggressive manner.

This is the beginning of an amazing rennaissance for Downtown Houston from all different economic and socialogical directions. Get ready for the BIG waves.

They're just hiring a rainmaker. What's needed is a developer.

Montrose has all these funky little locally-owned retailers. It would be nice if there was a building in this new district the mom-and-pops could call their own.

I hate to say it, but what might really be needed is actually dealing with the inexcusable homeless problems downtown. I knew full well what I was getting into when I moved downtown, but wow, it really can be terrible sometimes. Hard to be comfortable wandering around downtown when it seems all you see are masses of homeless, normally of thedrunken and/or psychotic variety. :(

Aaron (Glowrock)

I've never been pan handled more than when I lived in downtown Houston.

You know what I found works for me? Tell them you don't have a single dollar on you and that you are $40,000 in debt. For me it is a lie but the response is usually either friendly or nonexistent in that they just walk away.

Sounds like the average intersection in Austin. Downtown Austin is probably similar to downtown Houston in that respect. Maybe sunbelt cities tend to be that way. Makes sense, anyway.

Haven't been downtown in Houston in years, so I haven't experienced it.

By the way, Merry Christmas (or Happy Holidays) to my Houston friends. I'm in H-Town tonight through tomorrow. Holed up in a hotel at Greenway Plaza this evening, having had a nice Chinese dinner out (with family). Traffic seemed light coming in from Austin for a change. I took the new tollway from 290 down to I-10. Very nice. Very little development, but I know that will change soon.

I think Culberson objects to any form of public transit, which makes him much like Tom DeLay (who resisted letting Federal dollars go to Metro, while DART was being financed). Houston's congressional delegation has done a really poor job of looking out for the City over the decades; you have to go back to the '60s and Albert Thomas bringing NASA to Clear Lake to find any example of Houston-area Congress-critters going to bat for Houston. Some of it was probably suburban versus urban infighting, but all of it was unhelpful.

I have - in DC and Fort Worth. We've had these clusters of homeless/jobless at major intersections since Reagan, although now I think this is just a fundraising arm of the Unification Church. The only way for this problem to end is for these people to be given jobs and counseling. I'll betcha if you cleaned and sobered up a few of them, the construction industry might have some ready-made laborers for the local jobsites.

Our gambit is to go to the local McDonalds and buy them a cheeseburger. It feeds them, but that's probably not what they're looking for so they have no possible reaction.

That said, there are some professional panhandlers (or maybe it's just people experimenting with the generosity of motorists) who've made $30,000 in a year. Which is not much, but it will put them into a modest apartment. And it's tax free.

Yeah, whether suburb or urban, once you spend enough time in one area you begin to notice the trend of which 'homeless' people are constantly hanging around and always have a different story. You tell me one day you need 35 cents for the bus and I see you in the same spot every day for the next three weeks then I am going to realize you are a liar. At that point I really don't care if you are homeless or if this is all part of your game.

The opposite of this is a homeless guy that lives in and around hermann park/golf course. He has not once asked me for money in the past two years and I see him at least twice a week if not more. I actually even see him working for food and drinks at the gas station on north macgregor at almeda by sweeping the parking lot and washing it with a hose.

I hope they're paying him minimum wage and not relying on him to volunteer.

Linbeck gets a contract for the new performing arts center in Sugar Land.

Sugar Land moves forward with Performing Arts Center

http://impactnews.com/downloads/2105...s%20render.jpg

The panhandlers in downtown Houston are on the JV team when compared to the aggressive trustafarian addicts in San Francisco that will follow you for blocks.

Also, the downtown guys I find far friendlier and easier to engage than the Uptown beggars who hop out in front of your car and pay no attention to the light cycles.

Central Bank Building Redo: New renderings

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3672/1...9eb8bf5b_b.jpg

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If METRO builds the University line as currently planned, there will be no lanes lost at Richmond. Traffic will be the same with or without the rail. The University line would allow many more people access to faster, more reliable transit along many large employment centers.

HOWEVER, the above being said, I do agree that I would prefer grade-separated rail for Houston. The University Line would be great for the corridor, but the original heavy rail plan from the 1980s would be the best fit for Houston even today. It had multiple lines going west to around Beltway 8 and it was centered around the west side of Houston, where much of the population is. It would have allowed folks to get from the west Beltway 8 area to downtown and points east much faster than light rail ever will, and at competitive times vs. cars.

Is the Central Bank Revitalization all residential or hotels too?

It's actually office space, with over 25,000 sq. feet of retail.

Looks very sharp!

Word over on HAIF is that Alliance Residential (the developer behind Main & Leeland), will build another residential project on the lot south of Skyhouse. It will be taller than Main & Leeland, but not by a lot.

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news...ex-5094942.php

When I was in Boston, the Lyndon LaRouchebags would glom onto you and not let go until you bought something from them. You could get an earful of Kissinger/Rockefeller conspiracy stories from the main campus to the student center, whether you wanted it or not. Later, I found the Moonies and the Scientologists each had their own streetcorner scams for the unwary. :runaway:

"Houston leaders are in the early stages of planning a new police headquarters and courthouse complex that Mayor Annise Parker said could be the most important project on which she will work during her six-year tenure."

Just what the city needs - a supertall Supermax.

The Building Permits section of the HBJ lists at least four contracts for office towers on the west side of town. Bellows has been contracted to start work on the Phillips 66 headquarters, Memorial Lakes 1 is going up (Skanska), Westchase Park II is under contract (Harvey) and Tellepsen is starting work on Woodbranch Office Park. I assume renders for these buildings have already been posted earlier?

*bump*

Skyhouse: by DrLan34

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7430/1...ee48f8d5_b.jpg

The Sovereign: by infinite_jim

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5546/1...5b0710c2_b.jpg

Momentum Audi

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7293/1...575568f0_b.jpg

BLVD Place & Hanover Post Oak

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7318/1...09c234aa_b.jpg

That Audi dealership is so nice! It'd be cool if one was built downtown;)

2929 Weslayan: 12/26 by BaderJF

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7379/1...a1a4f855_c.jpg

The new Country Playhouse

https://scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/...53826424_n.jpg

Brazos Towers at Bayou Manor: 12/29 by larrydierker

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7444/1...6d0fdf0c_c.jpg

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Local Art Scene Builds on Creativity

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/ente...cmpid=btfpm#/1

MATCH

http://www.lakeflato.com/projects/mi...n/match-02.jpg

MFAH Expansion

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5539/1...9394281c_z.jpg

Menil Expansion

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2821/1...9419eb22_z.jpg

That's sharp. It's going to make all the other community theatres jealous.:cheers:

Demolition on 3400 Montrose to Begin Next Month

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3797/1...44498218_z.jpg

Midtown Park Renovations

Rendering:

http://p50400.ipscdn.com/uploads/mon...1377571501.png

Progress:

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This pisses me off; Audi brokers can build nice buildings like this one in other cities but where I live all the big companies build these shit Kmart big box style buildings. :(

http://pictures.dealer.com/s/sewickl...31c27c6353.jpg